Taking the Thoughts as Path

Guided Nondual Meditation by Michael Taft

Streamed reside on Jan 27, 2022

Let’s leap proper in. Tonight we’re going to work on what known as taking the thoughts as path. It will likely be our fundamental factor. 

Let’s begin out with our posture. As standard I would like you to principally wiggle your physique, really feel good, be goofy along with your physique, wave it round, shake your mouth out – all these sorts of issues simply to loosen up and open up. Let your physique really feel good and good. Crack your neck should you’re a kind of folks that all the time cracks their neck. However when you’re prepared then I would like you to sit up. That’s the important level. You gotta sit up. For those who’re on a cushion I would like your knees to be decrease than your hips, so that you just get a pleasant curve in your decrease backbone. For those who’re sitting in a chair it’s greatest should you sit ahead, so that you just’re away from the again of the chair. You may get it to the place the place you let your knees hold off the entrance fringe of the chair, in order that they’re additional down than your hips. You then get that good again curve and also you cross your ft. You received’t have your ft flat on the ground relying on the peak of your chair. With out even making an attempt – simply by having your knees and hips in the appropriate place you get a pleasant upright backbone. That’s the principle posture whether or not you’re in a chair or you might be on a cushion. However as I all the time say you can too “sit” or meditate mendacity down. In that case you wish to use a bolster or a strap to maintain your knees up so your decrease again feels good and comfortable on the ground. Solely do this if you don’t get sleepy. The opposite factor you are able to do notably should you’re sleepy is arise and do the entire meditation in a pleasant relaxed standing pose. 

So get into your meditation posture and I would like you to form of – particularly should you’re sitting and also you’ve acquired the upright backbone – I would like you to only slowly wave forwards and backwards such as you’re a chunk of seaweed in a really light, very gentle ocean. And your head is that a part of the seaweed that has like an air bladder in it, so the very high of your head is simply rising straight up. After which the present within the water will get smaller and gentler and slower to the purpose the place ultimately you’re simply sitting completely straight up. It appears like your head is simply being lifted up – the very very high most a part of your head is simply lifted up. That causes your chin to tuck a bit bit. And now you’re in that candy spot, that goldilocks zone the place your again stays upright with the completely least quantity of effort. 

From right here what we do subsequent is we set our intention. You get to set no matter intention you need. Why are you meditating in any respect? For those who don’t do that what tends to occur is you’ll sit down and also you’ll simply begin sloppily meditating. It’s such as you wade in and your thoughts remains to be again in no matter you had been doing earlier than you’re meditating. So what we wish to do is to set our intention. After taking your posture, setting your intention is the subsequent step in leaving every thing behind and shifting into the meditation with function. So depart every thing behind and say “I’m meditating as a result of ‘x’ or I’m meditating with a purpose to ‘why’.” Get it good and clear.

The following factor I would like us to do is our useful resource constructing interval or let’s imagine our resilience constructing interval. It’s attention-grabbing as a result of once we meditate, it’s completely different than different issues we do. For those who’re gonna paint a fence otherwise you’re going to create an online web page otherwise you’re going to work with some bodily stuff or some digital stuff, your temper issues. However it doesn’t matter that a lot. It issues how good you might be on the method. It issues what the scenario is. And particularly should you’ve completed lots of it your temper is sort of superfluous – it’s not superfluous however nearly superfluous. It’s extra situational. It’s extra what’s happening with the stuff. Like should you gotta unclog your kitchen drain at residence your temper about it helps a bit bit or hurts a bit bit. However it doesn’t actually change the information of what you’re going to do to unblock that drain. However once we’re working with inside issues, psychological issues or meditation issues the temper actually issues. And other people are likely to assume it’s like exterior, bodily stuff. Like “oh, my temper doesn’t matter if i’m doing the method proper. That’s all that counts.” And that’s true for the outside world should you’re going to vary a tire in your automotive. Being in temper helps nevertheless it doesn’t assist that a lot. Nonetheless, should you’re going to meditate, getting your thoughts in the appropriate place to meditate actually issues as a result of the thoughts is the factor we’re engaged on. So the state of your thoughts is essential.

What we’re going to do right here is we’re going to work on constructing assets. And should you’ve completed a bunch of those movies you realize that we do that in many alternative methods. We will visualize deities or visualize varied sorts of lights and beams coming into chakra. There’s all types of stuff we are able to do. These days I’ve simply been doing the gratitude one. It’s quite simple. It’s very simple. It doesn’t require lots of visualization. We’re going to do this once more tonight. So for the subsequent couple of minutes all I would like you to do is the next: I would like you to only sit and consider issues that you just really really feel grateful for. After which really feel gratitude. That’s it. That’s the entire follow. However you gotta do it. You bought to take a seat there and consider the stuff and really feel the sentiments. Okay, so let’s go.

Now, discover this isn’t a follow of issues it is best to really feel grateful for. That finally ends up turning into principally a ‘feeling ashamed’ or ‘feeling dangerous about your self’ follow since you don’t really feel grateful for the stuff it is best to really feel grateful for. So I don’t need you to do the follow of issues I ought to really feel grateful for. Slightly I would like you to do the follow of belongings you really really feel grateful for. I’ll let you know each single night time after I go to mattress I really feel grateful for the cup of black tea I’m gonna have within the morning. That cup of black tea tastes so good and each day it actually simply.. I simply look forward to it. And like it and it’s simply such a candy second and it’s simply the appropriate heat. I often drink PG ideas. I actually like PG ideas and it’s like tremendous bitter in simply the appropriate manner. Every part about it’s superb. So particularly if it was within the night I’d sit and say I really feel grateful for my cup of PG ideas I’m gonna have tomorrow or the one I had this morning – no matter. And you realize I really really feel grateful for it. It makes me really feel good. You would possibly even sit there and go ‘I really feel grateful for the air that I breathe in’ or ‘for my mom’ or no matter. And people are the belongings you’re alleged to really feel grateful for. For those who do then extra energy to you. Nonetheless I’ve observed that sitting and making an attempt to really feel grateful for the truth that there’s air to breathe or no matter. For lots of people that simply doesn’t resonate. So use one thing that resonates. That’s one thing you really really feel grateful for or many belongings you really really feel grateful for. Discover, whenever you do belongings you really really feel grateful for, you get a smile in your face, your coronary heart feels extra open, your coronary heart feels extra melty, your kind of physique armor falls away a bit bit – you’re simply extra open and your thoughts state is extra constructive and nice. That’s the thoughts state we wish to be in once we meditate. That’s how we wish to begin. It simply helps.

From this state of feeling gratitude – that there’s air to breathe and that there’s water to drink – I then need you to start with me to do our unification meditation, our settling meditation, our staying meditation, our shamatha with an object. On this case you possibly can all the time use no matter shamatha object you need. This time – as standard – we’re going to do form of the Dzogchen model of shamatha with an object, the place we relaxation as huge spacious consciousness and we simply discover the breath wave coming and going. That’s it. It’s very simple. 

Now, one thing I’m going so as to add this week to this meditation when you’re doing it – so go forward and do it – is that I would like you to note that it doesn’t take any effort to have a spacious consciousness. It’s not an altered state. It’s not one thing that it’s important to work to realize. Proper now you don’t need to work to realize feeling your physique. Your physique is simply presenting emotions into consciousness. The emotions are simply there. If you wish to think about it then that’s work. However simply feeling your physique it’s simply there to really feel. In case your eyes are open you don’t need to do any work to see. The visible subject is simply blasting into consciousness. It’s simply there. Similar factor with sounds: You’re not working laborious to listen to. It’s simply presenting itself in consciousness. Now all these issues – the visible subject, the sound subject, your physique, every thing else – all that’s simply arising on this huge area of consciousness. And also you don’t need to do something for that consciousness to be there. That’s what I’m saying. It’s simply there. How have you learnt it’s there? Effectively, in case your eyes are open, sights are blasting into it. sounds are trumpeting into it and your physique sensations are burbling up inside it. And that factor, that consciousness, that’s simply there with out you doing something. That’s huge spacious consciousness. There it’s. It’s simply there!

When folks say to me ‘Effectively, I’m working to get into huge spacious consciousness’ that’s speaking inside out and backwards. You’re not working to get into huge spacious consciousness. What you’re doing whenever you do that’s you’re making an attempt to loosen up out of being tightly centered on one thing. You’ve been tightly centered all day. And it means you’ve form of forgotten the huge spacious consciousness that’s all the time there. And so that you don’t need to do something to have spacious consciousness besides let go of the dying grip, of the tightness round no matter you’re making an attempt laborious to concentrate to. Simply loosen up. Simply loosen up. Huge spacious consciousness is already huge. It’s already conscious. It’s already spacious. You don’t need to do something in any respect for it to be that manner. After which the follow right here is, simply discover that effervescent wave of the breath that’s presenting itself effortlessly into that consciousness. The notice is easy. The breath is easy. If there’s any effort on this half in any respect it’s that whenever you begin getting wound up in considering once more, you let go of that and are available again to this easy breath wave that’s arising and passing in consciousness. So let’s do this now.

Consciousness is already spacious. Consciousness is already open. Consciousness is already comfy. It by no means leaves that. It’s all the time open. It’s all the time spacious. It’s all the time comfy. It’s all the time peaceable and settled. It’s all the time gentle and delicate. That’s what consciousness is. You don’t need to do something particular for that to be that manner. And the physique sensation of breath is simply arising in that with out you doing something for it to come up in that. In truth right here’s what I would like you to do: Cease respiratory! Simply maintain your breath for a minute. Discover that sensation of holding the breath arising in consciousness nevertheless it’s a holding-the-breath sensation. Now you’re doing one thing. You’re holding your breath. Okay, cease holding your breath and simply return to respiratory usually. Discover that that breath wave is simply doing itself. That’s completely different than holding your breath which is doing one thing. Physique sensations of breath are simply arising in consciousness effortlessly. And also you’re simply staying with that and permitting your self to experience this peaceable openness. That is shamatha with an object and shamanta is peaceable. It’s settled. It’s staying. It’s easeful. So let’s stick with this for a short while longer.

Okay, good. That’s our shamatha with an object. Now we’re going to dig into the principle shamatha object right here which goes to be the thoughts itself. We’re taking the thoughts as the trail. We’re going to take a seat with this for some time. However the directions are simple: Relaxation as huge spacious consciousness and observe the stream of considering. That’s it. We’ve already talked concerning the huge spacious consciousness. You’re not doing something to get huge spacious consciousness. It’s simply the notice that’s naturally current. And all we’re doing right here is as an alternative of being conscious of this breath wave arising and passing – that’s in fact going to be within the background. However we’re not notably staying with that. Now we’re staying with the stream of thought. However the trick right here is, to not become involved with the ideas. We’re resting as consciousness and simply noticing that there’s this stream of considering occurring. We’re not making an attempt to make ideas occur. If ideas cease – nice. Observe the stop-ness of the stream proper then. It’ll begin up once more most likely. However it doesn’t matter if it’s streaming or not. We’re simply noticing the ideas. And that’s it – not getting concerned in any manner. Now we’re going to do that for some time. That is your focus object. If you end up getting caught up within the considering, simply come again to resting as huge spacious consciousness and letting the ideas go by. But when it’s too laborious as a result of this is more difficult often than meditating on the breath. So if that is too laborious return and do the breath meditation as an alternative. Slightly than simply sitting right here, getting actual annoyed, meditate in your respiratory. For the remainder of us who’re going to proceed with the ‘taking the thoughts as path’: We sometimes do that with our eyes open. And simply relaxation as huge spacious consciousness. You’re not narrowing down with tight give attention to the ideas. You’re resting as huge spacious consciousness. And once more permitting the ideas to only be in consciousness. They’re already there. You don’t need to do something to love bolt your thoughts to them or one thing. It’s like no. Consciousness is already conscious. Ideas are arising in consciousness and also you’re simply being with them – as like a stream of thought exercise. That’s it. That’s the entire meditation. Let’s go.

As you possibly can see this generally is a little bit difficult as a result of in most different meditations of this type we’re taking a look at one thing else, like physique sensations and never getting caught up within the considering. However right here we’re trying proper on the considering – or actually extra like listening, most of it’s auditory. We’re listening on to it and never getting concerned. We’re simply resting as huge spacious consciousness conscious of the stream of considering and actually noticing it. Utilizing it as a meditation object. We’re resting on it. However not getting concerned.

In addition to getting caught in thought, the opposite manner this may go unsuitable is should you get form of drowsy. Typically if we’re not paying tight consideration and we’re resting in consciousness like this, you can begin to get drowsy. So if that occurs sit up, ensure your eyes are open, reaffirm your intention, your dedication and preserve going. For those who’re actually drowsy like actually actually drowsy then do the meditation standing up.

Okay, good. Now let’s simply let go of getting a meditation object in any respect. So although the breath may be there within the background we’re not paying any consideration to that. And although we had been listening to considering and considering would possibly proceed we’re not now paying any consideration to it in any respect. And we’re simply resting as huge spacious consciousness. That is known as shamatha with out an object. There isn’t a meditation object. Or one other solution to describe it’s, consciousness is just conscious of itself. Okay, that’s not an object. However let’s imagine roughly you’re concentrating on consciousness – or a greater solution to say it’s, consciousness is conscious of itself and we’re not getting concerned with something. For those who become involved with something that’s known as ‘grabbing onto the ball’. The canine grabs onto the ball. For those who discover your self grabbing on something in any respect – considering, the breath, something in any respect – simply drop the ball. And simply come again to resting as naturally occurring huge spacious consciousness that’s all the time current. This meditation is usually known as ‘do nothing’ as a result of there’s nothing to do. You’ll be able to’t make your self have huge spacious consciousness. It’s already there. Relaxation in that now. Once more, if that is too laborious, come again to one among these meditation objects.

Stay uninvolved with something. Consciousness is vibrant and clear. It’s very very awake. It’s additionally huge. It’s spacious. It’s open. It’s comfy. It’s restful. There’s a way of area, of room. It’s simply unsleeping and resting – resting like an ocean, resting like a mountain. It’s simply being. It’s unsleeping itself – uninvolved with something. Discover that any concept, that you just’re even doing one thing, is a form of involvement. So let go of the sense of doing a meditation, of making an attempt to do a method. Simply relaxation because the huge spacious consciousness you already are and all the time have been.

Okay, good. Now we’re going to let go of that and are available again to some ‘state of the thoughts kind’ follow that takes a bit effort. So, I would like you to only discover any pleasure in your being and radiate that out to your entire world, to your entire universe, to all universes in all places, to all sentient beings in all universes in all places. If there’s any peace that you just’re feeling, I would like you to radiate that out to all sentient beings in all universes in all places. For those who’re feeling any love, any kindness, any caring, I would like you to radiate that out in all instructions to all beings in all universes in all places. And simply preserve radiating love and kindness and pleasure and peace in all instructions. Persevering with to only beam out that love and peace and pleasure and kindness to all beings in all places – even beings sooner or later, even beings in each different multiverse. Simply beaming and beaming and beaming love and pleasure and kindness and caring, friendliness and peace to all beings in all places.

Okay, good. Let’s finish the meditation there. So now you can be at liberty to maneuver and stretch and shake out your palms and ft once more if you need. Have a drink of water. Do no matter you might want to do to permit your physique to be completely satisfied. 

Dharma Speak

I wish to return once more to this concept of the effortlessness of consciousness. So typically I simply hear this remark. And once more it’s a remark that’s form of inside out and backwards. Regardless that it’s a standard manner of talking – a very regular manner of talking. However from the perspective of the nondual meditation it’s simply inside out and backwards. So the factor that I typically hear is one thing like “I’m working to search out huge spacious consciousness” or “I’m making an attempt to make my consciousness huge and spacious” – one thing like that. And like I say it’s not that that’s dangerous or no matter. It’s a very regular manner of talking. However I wish to just remember to perceive that that’s not possible. You’ll be able to’t work to make your consciousness extra huge and spacious. you possibly can’t attempt to do something to consciousness and a very ‘inside out and backwards’ one is when somebody says “I’m making an attempt to note huge spacious consciousness” – so my query is who’s noticing. Proper, should you’re making an attempt to note your personal huge spacious consciousness, who’s doing the noticing. Proper, the reply is “the notice is noticing the huge spacious consciousness” or to place it much more clearly “huge spacious consciousness is noticing the huge spacious consciousness”. So the entire sentence like “I’m making an attempt to note huge spacious consciousness” as quickly as there’s that phrase ‘discover’ in there – that’s the notice. It already notices itself. There’s nothing to do.

Besides relaxation in that noticing. It doesn’t imply, “hey, there’s nothing to do, so go and play Pokémon Go proper now. There’s some actually attention-grabbing Pokémon across the Pokéstop in your neighborhood. Perhaps it is best to go and do this as an alternative as a result of consciousness is already…” no, no, no, I’m saying that consciousness already notices itself. Now relaxation in that, effortlessly. If we’re going to do ‘shamatha with out an object’, consciousness is simply resting in itself. Consciousness is simply resting in itself. So you possibly can say the sentence “I’m making an attempt to note my huge spacious consciousness” however – and once more it’s not that I’m criticizing that, I’m simply making an attempt to level one thing out which is – that factor that’s noticing is the huge spacious consciousness itself. You already are huge spacious consciousness. It’s all the time there. So there’s nothing to do. 

Moreover it’s not like consciousness is typically slim and generally huge. It’s all the time huge. It’s all the time spacious. So once more, proper now, do it with me. Don’t simply take heed to me. Do it with me proper now. Together with your eyes open, discover the entire visible subject. It’s like pouring within the entrance of your head. Proper, there’s simply visible stuff – similar to an ocean of imaginative and prescient pouring within the entrance of your face. You’re not doing something to make that occur. An ocean of sound is simply coming in your ears proper now. It’s nothing you’re doing, it’s simply occurring. A complete universe of physique sensations is simply effervescent up in consciousness proper now. You’re not doing something for that to look that manner. And naturally, as we observed, there’s this stream of ideas simply pouring via consciousness on a regular basis. We’re not doing something to make that occur. And all of these items – an ocean of imaginative and prescient, an universe of sound, one other universe of physique sensation, additional multiverses of considering – all of that’s one way or the other, so to talk, inside consciousness. Consciousness is already spectacularly huge, completely extensive open, effortlessly infinite, effortlessly boundary-less. With all these items occurring inside it. 

Okay and so from that understanding then we did three completely different meditations:

• We did ‘shamatha with an object’ – the item being the breath. And once more the notice is already huge and with out doing something particular, you simply discover the breath inside that consciousness. That was the primary one we did. 
• The second we did was ‘taking the thoughts as path’. All which means is meditating on function, as an alternative of on the breath, on the considering. The considering turns into the meditation object. Discover how that’s actually completely different than nearly any meditation custom the place you’re both alleged to cease considering or meditate on one thing in addition to the considering. After we ‘take the thoughts as path’ – the second – it’s nonetheless a form of ‘shamatha with an object’ – the item is just the considering itself. Now we’re not following the considering within the sense of getting caught up within the practice of thought. That’s simply known as sitting there considering. After we’re doing the shamatha on the considering or what we’re calling ‘taking the thoughts as path’ we’re on function listening to the considering however not getting concerned in it. One other manner of claiming it – once more it’s not tremendous correct however – we’re outdoors the considering, taking a look at it. That may be a extra vipassana manner of describing it. That’s not likely what’s occurring. We’re resting as huge spacious consciousness and the considering is arising. However the considering is our object. That’s the factor we’re resting on – with out getting concerned within the content material. The content material is irrelevant. In truth you could have observed – although you weren’t supposed to note the content material – it’s possible you’ll discover that the content material will get actually actually bizarre generally. Why is that? As a result of whenever you’re not listening to the content material very a lot, the conventional filter in your unconscious thoughts turns into permeable and would possibly even simply not be there in any respect. So the deep unconscious thoughts begins to throw up ideas that usually you’d solely have in goals or one thing. There might be disturbing ideas, violent ideas however typically they’re simply bizarre – just like the jellyfish ideas which might be simply unusual. However we’re not listening to that. So I don’t need you to assume “Oh, I hope there’s some unusual ideas after which I’m actually going to concentrate to them” no, you’re simply permitting ideas to come up and that’s the eye object. 
• After which the third factor we did was ‘shamata with out an object’ – once more that’s simply ‘dropping the ball’, that’s ‘do nothing’. We simply relaxation as our naturally occurring huge spacious consciousness not even resting on the considering, not even resting on the breath. You’re simply resting on consciousness itself. 

So these had been the three issues we did. And to do them the best way I described requires this foundational understanding – that consciousness is already conscious with out you doing something. It’s already unsleeping with out you doing something. All this sensory stuff is going on in consciousness with out you doing something. That’s the foundational understanding. So whenever you sit and I say “relaxation in huge spacious consciousness”, it’s like saying “sit there and simply be awake”. Do it proper now. Simply sit there and spot this awakeness that’s occurring – the actual fact the entire visible subject is simply pouring within the eyes, sound is pouring within the ears, physique sensation is flowing up via the physique, ideas are streaming via the mind, all of that is occurring inside consciousness itself. And consciousness doesn’t do something to pay attention to it. It’s simply conscious. That’s what it’s. 

The metaphor for consciousness – the clearest most exact metaphor – is consciousness is like area. Discover area is huge and naturally spacious, spacious, spacious… Consciousness is spacious 

So consciousness is like area. However similar to all metaphors, it’s not good as a result of area – like bodily area – is simply non-sentient whereas consciousness is sentient. Consciousness has a gnostic high quality. It has gnosis. It’s figuring out. So let’s imagine ‘consciousness is like figuring out area’ or ‘like area that is aware of’. 

So once we relaxation as huge spacious consciousness it’s simply tuning in to the truth that consciousness is occurring now and never narrowing it. See, that is the factor: You’ll be able to’t make it extra spacious however you possibly can attempt to slim it – doesn’t actually work as a result of every thing’s nonetheless coming in. However that’s the actual challenge that usually we’re narrowing it and solely giving any credence to that slim half – and that slim half we name consideration. However once we loosen up the narrowing – the obsession with the slim half – we acknowledge that consciousness is huge. It’s all the time been huge. It’s all the time been spacious. It’s there. After which that makes these ‘shamatha with an object meditations’ a lot simpler. You simply sit, resting as consciousness, permitting regardless of the object is to have only a slight quantity of consideration on it. As a substitute of claiming ‘consideration’ we simply say that ‘we enable the huge spacious consciousness to in a manner relaxation on that object, so although technically the notice of the breath is rising into the notice. It’s nearly tautological to say ‘the physique sensations of respiratory are arising in consciousness and we’re simply form of resting on that once we’re doing the ‘shamata with an object on the breath’. Then once we’re ‘taking the thoughts as path’ we’re simply permitting this stream – and it appears like a stream, it appears like a river – of considering that’s simply pouring effortlessly via consciousness with out us doing something in any respect – and we’re simply resting on that. In a manner that’s uninvolved. Let’s say that river has numerous fish in it. We’re not catching and consuming the fish – yummy fish, little gollum. No, we’re not gollum. We’re not consuming yummy fish. We’re simply observing the dashing river. That’s it. After which, once we do the ‘do nothing’ or  once we do ‘dropping the ball’, we surrender all these objects and we enable the notice to only relaxation in itself. And that’s very very nice. In order that’s how that works.

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